duplicated structure needed?

Tom.9

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I have a list with errands which I have to fetch @city @Shop A, @Shop B, @Shop C, @Shop X.

Is it reasonable to copy and maintain this structure in the someday/maybe-categroy?
Like:
someday/maybe buy @Shop A, @Shop B, @Shop C, @Shop X ?
 

TesTeq

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Is it reasonable to copy and maintain this structure in the someday/maybe-categroy?
Like:
someday/maybe buy @Shop A, @Shop B, @Shop C, @Shop X ?
I can hardly imagine things to buy that are in the Someday/Maybe category and are not part of the greater Someday/Maybe Project.
Any example?
Maybe books to read?
 

Gardener

Registered
I feel the need for more details, especially as to why these are in Someday/Maybe.

Are they things that you whimsically think about buying and don't want to forget about? I have a collection of lists, and one of them is "Shopping Whims". That's where I'd put that. I don't know what GTD label you'd put on those lists--A-Z filing? Project support material, but sort of for the general "Maintain GTD" project? Not sure.

Are these things associated with a project that's also in Someday/Maybe? I would probably call that project support material and I'd store it in the text document where I keep most project support material.

Are they things that you definitely want to buy, but you won't be in the city where they're available for a while? That makes them feel like Waiting For, but I wouldn't want those hanging around cluttering things up. So I'd probably create a list--maybe "Opportunistic Shopping"--and put that list with my other lists, and somehow form a habit of checking it before every time I travel.
 

Tom.9

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@TesTeq:
For example, I have
a Next Action @Shop A:
  • buy food
a Someday/Maybe @Shop A:
  • buy plastic storage box for cereals;
  • buy specific light bulb [which would I put into stock so it would be at hand when the actual bulb in use blows ]
Am I overlooking a project here?


@Gardener:
I have
a Someday/Maybe @Shop B:
  • browse for wines I like (and maybe buy it)
a Someday/Maybe @Shop C:
  • browse for wines I like (and maybe buy it)
Is it that what you would call "shopping whims" ?
Shouldn´t have them assigned the context as fist thing ? If I am not physically in the shop, I can´t retrieve the wines.
 

mcogilvie

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@TesTeq:
For example, I have
a Next Action @Shop A:
  • buy food
a Someday/Maybe @Shop A:
  • buy plastic storage box for cereals;
  • buy specific light bulb [which would I put into stock so it would be at hand when the actual bulb in use blows ]
Am I overlooking a project here?


@Gardener:
I have
a Someday/Maybe @Shop B:
  • browse for wines I like (and maybe buy it)
a Someday/Maybe @Shop C:
  • browse for wines I like (and maybe buy it)
Is it that what you would call "shopping whims" ?
Shouldn´t have them assigned the context as fist thing ? If I am not physically in the shop, I can´t retrieve the wines.

You should of course do whatever seems necessary to get something off your mind, but this seems unlikely to do you much good unless you do a lot of review before shopping. Consider instead putting something like "Buy wine?" on your next action list, decide yes or no, and then do it (buy the wine), delete it or defer it. For what it's worth, I have found separate lists for multiple stores/locations to be too unwieldy. I only have a grocery list and a shopping list (non-grocery items). I sometimes preface items on the shopping list with the store to facilitate batching shopping. I want GTD to make my life easier, not more complicated.
 

TesTeq

Registered
@TesTeq:
For example, I have
a Next Action @Shop A:
  • buy food
a Someday/Maybe @Shop A:
  • buy plastic storage box for cereals;
  • buy specific light bulb [which would I put into stock so it would be at hand when the actual bulb in use blows ]
Am I overlooking a project here?
So my buying habits are different than yours. Do I need a plastic storage box as soon as possible or not? Is it my policy to have a spare light bulb or not? Yes or no? Now. There are no "maybes" in such cases.
But "Summer lake house bought" could be my Someday/Maybe project... ;-)
 

Gardener

Registered
buy specific light bulb [which would I put into stock so it would be at hand when the actual bulb in use blows

Would you buy the light bulb someday, or would you buy it now because you might use it someday? If you'd buy it now/soon, then I wouldn't call this someday/maybe.

If you wanted to tie the light bulb purchase to a project, the project could be "Stock house for unexpected events" or "House is stocked for unexpected events", depending on whether you use outcome phrasing for your project names.

Similarly, the storage box could be part of a project "Organize house".

Or both the storage box and household could be part of an ongoing project, "Manage/Maintain house", where you put your house purchases as they come up.

Or you could just have a shopping list that exists outside any specific project, and maybe at some interval (every Saturday morning?) you have a Next Action that reminds you to review the list.

[
I have
a Someday/Maybe @Shop B:
  • browse for wines I like (and maybe buy it)
a Someday/Maybe @Shop C:
  • browse for wines I like (and maybe buy it)
Is it that what you would call "shopping whims" ?
Shouldn´t have them assigned the context as fist thing ? If I am not physically in the shop, I can´t retrieve the wines.

This sounds like what I would call "shopping whims", yes. I don't think I'd have this in Next Actions; I think that I'd have a list for this sort of thing, and treat the list as project support material. The list could be called Shopping Whims or Travel Shopping or Low Urgency Shopping, or whatever you want to call it.

And then I'd try to form a habit of reviewing this list at some times that seems appropriate to me. If it's for shopping when traveling, then I'd figure out a way to trigger myself to review it at the same time that I'm packing my suitcase. If it's just for shopping whenever I'm out in the car, I might make a habit of scanning the list quickly right before I start the car to go on drives that will involve shopping.

You could certainly have these actions with a context of Shop A and Shop B. I wouldn't do that because that would clutter up my main project lists to an unacceptable extent, but that reflects my lack of tolerance for list clutter.
 

bcmyers2112

Registered
You should of course do whatever seems necessary to get something off your mind, but this seems unlikely to do you much good unless you do a lot of review before shopping. Consider instead putting something like "Buy wine?" on your next action list, decide yes or no, and then do it (buy the wine), delete it or defer it. For what it's worth, I have found separate lists for multiple stores/locations to be too unwieldy. I only have a grocery list and a shopping list (non-grocery items). I sometimes preface items on the shopping list with the store to facilitate batching shopping. I want GTD to make my life easier, not more complicated.

I don't know why it never occurred to me to just consolidate my shopping lists. I've tended to create errands lists based on where I *think* would be best to buy the item and that's always created some level of resistance to using my errands list. It seems like the kind of thing I should have thought of long ago but I guess we all have our blind spots. Thanks for some good advice.
 

bcmyers2112

Registered
@Tom.9, I think @mcogilvie has some good advice about streamlining your errands list. I'll add one piece of my own: there's no need to create a project for a one-and-done errand. Whenever I've created projects that aren't "real" to me they just make my reviews more burdensome and create resistance to using my projects list. If I want to buy lightbulbs to keep on hand (a reasonable thing to do) I just add them to an errands list.

The point of GTD is to keep things off your mind, rather than adding to what's on your mind. If you have to think too much about your GTD lists, they become self-defeating.
 

Oogiem

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I don't know why it never occurred to me to just consolidate my shopping lists. I've tended to create errands lists based on where I *think* would be best to buy the item and that's always created some level of resistance to using my errands list
I have been using a different shopping program, SplashShopper (not being developed and will be killed soon with new IiOS coming but working ok for now) that allows me to assign multiple stores to a single item.

I find that highly useful when I can get the same thing several places, say at Murdoch's, at Paonia farm & Home, at Tractor Supply or at Western Implement. When I add the item all stores have it. When shopping I just look by store and everything that I can get there is shown.

If SplashShopper goes away I'll have to re-look for a new program. Most of them want to track things like prices or coupons, that I don't care abut, and few allow multiple stores for a single item. Worst case I've got a design for the database structure done and that might just be the push I need to write my own iOS shopping app.
 

Tom.9

Registered
fist: Thank you to @all!
I really have to rethink my organization regarding this.

The reason why I had the initial idea was that I remembered some DA advice:
a) "Do it when it shows up, not when it blows up"
-> buy light bulbs ahead
b) DA somewhere stated that he has a structure @country/@city/restaurants which allow him to choose one place to eat when he IS in that city.
 

bcmyers2112

Registered
fist: Thank you to @all!
I really have to rethink my organization regarding this.

The reason why I had the initial idea was that I remembered some DA advice:
a) "Do it when it shows up, not when it blows up"
-> buy light bulbs ahead
b) DA somewhere stated that he has a structure @country/@city/restaurants which allow him to choose one place to eat when he IS in that city.

He was referring to checklists he keeps to remind himself about things he might like to do the next time he's in a particular city. I think that's useful for a well-traveled person. I personally wouldn't transfer that kind of structure to a shopping list if everything on that list is within a reasonable driving distance.
 
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